Means and method for preserving products formed of rubber



Oct. 23, 1928.

v T.' M. RECTOR MEANS AND METHOD .FOR PRESERVING PRODUCTS FORMED 0F RUBBER Filed Nov. 8, 1924 qELEZE- Patented Oct. 23, 1928. i

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

THOMAS M. ianc'ron, or zan'rnnnroim, New .JnRsEY, ASSIGNOR 'ro VITAPACK conrom'rron, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

I AND METHOD FOR PRESERVING PRODUCTS FORMED OF RUBBER.

Application filed November 8, 1924. Serial N0. 748,550.

This invention relates generally to means and a method for preserving products formed of rubber.

It is well known that rubber is subject to relatively rapid deterioration in the air and that products formed of rubber frequently undergo a substantial loss in quality during the storage period elapsing between the manufacture of the articles and the delivery thereof to the ultimate user. A general obj ect of the present invention is to prevent the deterioration of rubber goods during the storage period referred to. p

The invention includes the packing of the goods in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen 1n a sealed container. Nitrogen has been found to be particularly adapted for the purposs although carbon dioxide may also be use While the process is capable of being used with rubber products of various kinds it is believed that its greatest use will be in the packing and storage of inner tubes for automobile tires and the process will be described in this connection.

In the practice of the invention an inner tube may be evacuated and then filled with inert gas which is then withdrawn to completely remove the traces of air remaining in the tube following the first evacuation; The tube is then folded and placed in a container Onto which the cover is loosely clinched. The container is then placed in an. evacuating chamber and the air in the container is drawn of]? and replaced by the nitrogenor other inert gas chosen for the purpose. The cover member is immediately sealed in place and the container with its contained tube immersed all} inert gas is ready to be shipped or stored pending the time when the tube is placed in use.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention has been selected for illustration, 7

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a container such as. may be used in the, practice of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2- 2 of Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a sectional View of a portion of the container ready for an evacuatlng operation.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a portion of the device shown in Figure3.

Referring to the drawings -for a more detailed description of the invention, a storage receptacle for inner tire tubes is shown in which a sheet metal container is given a substantially rectangular formation into which the inner tube 12 may be conveniently disposed in a folded condition as is clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. The contalner 10 is adapted to have sealed into place thereon a cover member-.14 as is indicated in Figure 2 of the drawing.

A principal feature of the inventionherein resides in the packing of the rubber product in an atmosphere formed by an inert gas durmg the storage period that exists between the time of manufacture of the goods and the placing of the goods in use by the ultimate consumer. In order to accomplish this and to insureithat the deteriorating effect of air cannot take place on the inner surface of the tube as well as on the outer surface thereof,

the tube is preliminarily filled with the inert gas chosen for the purpose, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, and is then evacuated, the purpose of the introduction .of the gas into the tube being to dilute and clear from the tube the contained air therein.

When the tube has thus been cleared of air,"

the tube is folded and placed in the container in the disposition shown in Figure 1 or in any other suitable manner. The cover member 14.- is then laid on top of the container as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing and oppositely disposed portions'16 on the opposite edges .of the cover member, are pinched or bent into holding position beneath the engaged flange 18 formed along the upper edge of the body of the container 10. The purpose of thus loosely clinching the cover member 14 in place is to prevent the lifting of the cover member from its positionduring' an evacuating operation to which the container is now subjected. It will be clear that the evacuating operation will tend to bring about an expansion of any residual gas remaining in the tube to thereby produce the cover lifting effect referred to.

Following the clinching of the cover member 14 loosely in place, the container as a whole is placed in an evacuating receptacle and the air in the container is withdrawn through the loose joint existing between the cover-member and the container flange 18. When the desired degree of vacuity has been efl'ected, the inert gas chosen for the purpose is supplied to the chamber and flows into the container 10 with the result that an atmosphere of the inert gas is provided in which the inner tube 12 in the container 10 is completely immersed. The cover member 14' is then hermetically sealed into position, this step completing the packing operation so that the inner tube can be placed in storage without risk-of deterioration taking place even though the storage period is extended over a considerable period of time.

While I have referred to the use of carbon dioxide and nitrogen for the purpose in practice the use of nitrogen for the inert atmosphere surrounding the tube is preferable for the reason that nitrogen is not dissolved by rubber and therefore does not create a partial vacuum in the container.

However, in the preliminary treatment of the tube in order to remove air from the tube carbon dioxide is preferably employed since if this gas be permitted to remain in the tube for a considerable period such as twentyfour hours the air dissolved in the rubber will diiluse into the carbon dioxide and thus be expelled with the gas when the tube is rolled or evacuated as a preliminary to placing it in the container.

An alternative method of clearing air from the tube may consist of the simple evacuation of the tube and then the fillingof the tube with inert gas, either hydrogen or nitrogen, or other suitable gas, which is then removed in order to discharge the contained'air. What I claim is 1. In combination, a closed rubber article containing an atmosphere composed substan-' THOMAS M. REGTOR. 

